All that Virgin Airlines promotion must have rubbed some HBO execs in their honey spots: the Mark Wahlberg (you know, that guy that talks to animals)-produced show, Entourage, was just picked up for a sixth season.

This, despite the storyline getting stale about two seasons ago and ratings not so great? The whole show is now resting its entire weight on the strength of Jeremy Piven's Emmys.

Despite complaints that no one tuned in for the first presidential debates on Friday, the total amount of viewership tallied somewhere in the 52.4 million mark. Which seems like a lot, but then you remember that number is spread across 11 different channels that aired the commercial free event.

ABC came out ahead of the ratings pack with 11 million people watching…a suspiciously close number to the station's dismal Emmys Awards, which garnered what? 12.33 million? But the Emmys' ratings were more indicative of bad tidings, since the broadcast was exclusive to ABC.

Either way, it's time to get off your YouTube and turn back on that television you may or may not still own. Escapism is a wonderful salve to deal with the hardships of everyday living during an economic crisis; just ask your grandparents.

A couple years back, Stephen Colbert held a contest to find his new black friend after the old one started mouthing off to the press.

Did Colbert ever find an African-American buddy?

Looks like he did. (Hint: It's not Barack Obama, those two need to keep their love a secret):

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On Sunday night, AMC's Mad Men walked away with the Emmy for best drama or comedy series, and AMC's Breaking Bad left the stage with a best actor Emmy for Bryan Cranston (best known for playing the Malcolm in the Middle dad). You might have assumed this was because Jon Hamm is an excellent actor who owns the small screen for 60 minutes each week. Or because Mad Men's showrunner Matthew Weiner knows just how long to let the camera hang on a scene. Or because in Breaking Bad, Cranston comes off brilliantly as a terminal meth producer.

All of which, in theory, is true. But the reason AMC — a basic cable station — left with its arms full on Sunday night wasn't because of its programming fare. It was because AMC mounted a glorious Emmy PR campaign, and it paid off.

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Very few of the Emmy winners actually made it to the press tent. Reporters blamed it on the ridiculous length of the walk required from the Nokia Theatre stage to the rooftop of the parking garage where the press corps was camped out. The Emmys' PR team blamed it on having to re-seat the winners, because they were so talented, they were up for additional awards! Luckily, the Emmys' producers saved the flacks' backs by creating such a craptastic broadcast that not only did nobody tune in, nobody will be interested in reading today's post-mortems the reporters were expected to file. [Variety]

If anyone missed floppy-haired dandy Josh Grobin singing a medley of hit theme songs during the Emmys last night, well we've got you covered after the jump.

You're welcome. Alternatively: Sorry?

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Despite all her best efforts to win — which were really disguised as a grand campaign to lose — plastic surgery something and lady comedian Kathy Griffin picked up her second Emmy on Saturday night for Bravo's My Life on the D-List. Alas, this awards ceremony is not broadcast on television, for Ms. Griffin delivered her acceptance speech thusly: "Hanks, Gandolfini — what the f—! I'm not going to tell anyone to suck it. I would make love to this thing if I could." [EW]

It's a good year to have a fake job. First, all those Bigfoot researchers are getting some airtime. Then Jon Stewart gets fingered as the most trusted man in news. And now "Outstanding Reality Host" is a category at this year's Emmys. Taking this nonsense a step further, the nominees won't just have their names read off a teleprompter — the five contestants nominees will group-host the primetime ceremony. But as we all know in reality show hosting, one day you're in, the next day, you're out. So who's going to show up for the opening of an envelope and hear her own name called?

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While Project Runway 4 winner Christian Siriano takes shots at the over-tanned contestant currently trying to out-tagline him on season five, none other than Harvey Weinstein comes out looking like the good guy in this week's round up of Runway gossip. Weinstein, supposedly, was willing to take his name off the Emmy application for the show, since only fifteen producers get to be attached to any single nomination. And since Weinstein has done little for the brand except milk its revenue potential for all the hair and makeup sponsorship deals it's worth, he so graciously agreed not to have his efforts acknowledged with the possibility of winning a silly little statute. How generous, and nicely spun, of him.

Possible winners of those television award-y things were announced yesterday, and all your cable favs are up for collective backslapping. There's Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Damages, Dexter, and Weeds. Oh, plus some network fare too, like The Office, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Samantha Who?, and Pushing Daises. And the show with the homosexual title whose mass appeal we still don't understand, Two and a Half Men.

By not submitting photos along with their Emmy applications, Calista Flockhart, Ellen Pompeo, and Matthew Fox may have lost out on their shot at having their name read when an envelope is opened. [Gold Derby]

It’s been a mixed bag for Tyra Banks and her talk show this year. On the one hand, she got to interview the guy who will possibly be the next president of the United States, plus the two Democratic runners-up and, uh, Mike Huckabee.

On the other hand, she sexually assaulted Janet Jackson, got caught lying about her Oprah envy, filmed a show while driving around in a car, introduced us to vulva puppets, and humilated herself in front of Bow Wow, of all people. In this blogger’s humble opinion, the ridiculous definitely outweighed the good. But then again, this blogger doesn’t vote for the Daytime Emmy Awards.

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Because Mary-Kate Olsen's stint on Weeds was anything but bearable, Britney Spears is the starlet favorite to win the Emmy for best guest actress in a comedy series — now that Lindsay Lohan has dropped out of the race. Supposedly it's because her role on Ugly Betty, playing a childhood nemesis of Betty's, wasn't a role good enough for Lohan, who had entire dozens of seconds of on-air time. So add Linds to the Katherine Heigl's of the world, whose decisions not to compete for Emmys isn't so much an act of humility, but a slight to their shows' writers.

See Lohan's non-Emmy-worthy performance below.

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Bill O'Reilly's reach doesn't just extend upstairs at News Corp., but across all of television news. Well, not that he had anything directly to do with Comcast Network's firing of Barry Nolan, the former Hard Copy anchor, who hosted the network's Backstage program, but it's because of Nolan's criticism of the Fox News host that he's out of a job. [BH]

Nolan was, understandably, furious that O'Reilly was about to receive an honor from the New England Emmy chapter even though, according to the fliers Nolan put on the tables at the awards ceremony, O'Reilly is "delusional" and "a man that mangles the facts." It probably didn't help that Nolan also emailed colleagues to protest O'Reilly's receipt of the Emmy's Governor's Award.

As of Tuesday, Nolan was officially out of a job. Emmy-winners Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, who make a living throwing stone at O'Reilly most nights, still have their jobs.

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Showtime spent several hundred dollars to nominate Mary-Kate Olsen for a "best guest actress" Emmy, which means she could face off against Lindsay Lohan (for Ugly Betty) and Britney Spears (for How I Met Your Mother) if those networks shell out, as expected, fees to nominate their own celeb stars. Nevermind that our money's on Spears — watch a potential Emmy-award winner below:

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